. Do thou, O lord of the celestials, grant
me the celestial weapons (so that) I may hereafter, obtain the regions
attainable by warriors.' Indra said, 'O Dhananjaya it is to try thee that
I have said such words unto thee. Having been begotten of me this speech
of thine well becometh thee. Do thou, O Bharata, repairing unto my abode
learn all the weapons of Vayu, of Agni, of the Vasus, of Varuna, of the
Marutas, of the Siddhas, of Brahma, of the Gandharvas of the Uragas, of
the Rakshasas, of Vishnu and of the Nairitas; and also all the weapons
that are with me, O perpetuator of the Kuru race.' Having said this unto
me Sakra vanished at the very spot. Then, O king, I saw the wonderful and
sacred celestial car yoked with steeds arrive conducted by Matali. And
when the Lokapalas went away Matali said unto me. 'O thou of mighty
splendour, the lord of the celestials is desirous of seeing thee. And O
mighty-armed one, do thou acquire competence and then perform thy task.
Come and behold the regions, attainable by merit and come unto heaven
even in this frame. O Bharata, the thousand-eyed lord of the celestials
wisheth to see thee.' Thus addressed by Matali, I, taking leave of the
mountain Himalaya and having gone round it ascended that excellent car.
And then the exceedingly generous Matali, versed in equine lore, drove
the steeds, gifted with the speed of thought or the wind. And when the
chariot began to move that charioteer looking at my face as I was seated
steadily, wondered and said these words, 'Today this appeareth unto me
strange and unprecedented that being seated in this celestial car, thou
hast not been jerked ever so little. O foremost of Bharata race, I have
ever remarked that at the first pull by the steeds even the lord of the
celestials himself getteth jerked. But all the while that the car had
moved, thou hast been sitting unshaken. This appeareth unto me as
transcending even the power of Sakra.'

"Having said this, O Bharata, Matali soared in the sky and showed me the
abodes of the celestials and their palaces. Then the chariot yoked with
steeds coursed upwards. And the celestials and the sages began to worship
(that car), O prime of men. And I saw the regions, moving anywhere at
will, and the splendour also of the highly energetic Gandharvas, Apsaras,
and the celestial sages. And Sakra's charioteer, Matali, at once showed
me Nandana and other gardens and groves belonging to the celestials. Next
I beheld Indr